Baseball Steroids
Friday, April 01, 2005
Larry Starr was a major league baseball trainer for 30 seasons, 21 with the Cincinnati Reds and nine with the Florida Marlins. In 1974 he was the first trainer to bring weightlifting equipment into the clubhouse. The Reds won the World Series that season, and soon everyone in the bigs was getting big.
One year, Starr was at the Reds' spring training facility in Florida when he did a double-take as a minor leaguer walked into the clubhouse. The last time Starr had seen him, the player was about 160 pounds with sticks for arms and legs. He now was 38 pounds heavier, rippling with lean muscle.
Starr isn't dumb. He had been promoting offseason weight training among Reds players, but he also knew realistic from ridiculous. When the player confided to Starr that 38 pounds in three months were compliments of an anabolic steroid regimen, it didn't surprise Starr.
"He was a skinny little outfielder who came into spring training all of a sudden weighing 205, 210," says Starr, now an assistant athletic director at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "He goes out and tears it up in spring training. He hit about .400 and hit a bunch of home runs and made the big league club."
The year: 1984.
What we know:
From 1900 to 1994, the major leagues averaged one home run per team per game only once, in 1987. Since 1995 it has happened every year. In 1992 the average was .72; eight years later it had increased 62.5 percent, to 1.17.
We know that from 1900 to 1994, the magical barrier of 50 home runs in a season was pierced 17 times. Since then, it has been done 18 times.
We know that Roger Maris hit 61 home runs in 1961 and that his record stood for 37 years. And that players have hit 61 or more six times since 1998.
What else we know:
Read the whole article at:
SignOnSanDiego.com > Sign on San Diego
One year, Starr was at the Reds' spring training facility in Florida when he did a double-take as a minor leaguer walked into the clubhouse. The last time Starr had seen him, the player was about 160 pounds with sticks for arms and legs. He now was 38 pounds heavier, rippling with lean muscle.
Starr isn't dumb. He had been promoting offseason weight training among Reds players, but he also knew realistic from ridiculous. When the player confided to Starr that 38 pounds in three months were compliments of an anabolic steroid regimen, it didn't surprise Starr.
"He was a skinny little outfielder who came into spring training all of a sudden weighing 205, 210," says Starr, now an assistant athletic director at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "He goes out and tears it up in spring training. He hit about .400 and hit a bunch of home runs and made the big league club."
The year: 1984.
What we know:
From 1900 to 1994, the major leagues averaged one home run per team per game only once, in 1987. Since 1995 it has happened every year. In 1992 the average was .72; eight years later it had increased 62.5 percent, to 1.17.
We know that from 1900 to 1994, the magical barrier of 50 home runs in a season was pierced 17 times. Since then, it has been done 18 times.
We know that Roger Maris hit 61 home runs in 1961 and that his record stood for 37 years. And that players have hit 61 or more six times since 1998.
What else we know:
Read the whole article at:
SignOnSanDiego.com > Sign on San Diego